By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet CielXOz
by Aruberry Cheesecake
Summary: Oz comes back after 10 years of absence and Ciel believes that Oz has something to do with his parents' death. Oz must find out the reason why he was sent to Abyss, but does Oz's "sin" really have something to do with the Ciel's past? CielXOz Yaoi Crossover pairing. Kuroshitsuji and Pandora Hearts.
1. I Light and Shadows

AN: I feel like Ciel and Oz is probably one of the best crossover pairings and it's quite a shame how there's not that many of them. This story has always been bugging me from the back of my head and it feels great to have finally written some of it. I have only watched the anime of Pandora Hearts and Black Butler I and II (and I've read some of the manga of Black Butler) so it's mostly based off the characters of the anime. Please Enjoy!

Ch. 1: Where there is light, there are shadows.

"What are you talking about Sebastian? He's been missing for 10 years. I don't think he would just come back so abruptly. And you're telling me he hasn't aged a bit? This is complete nonsense."

Ciel Phantomhive was stirring his morning Earl Grey as his butler, Sebastian, was informing him about the rumors of Oz Vessalius' return. The Vessalius family once had close ties with the Phantomhives until 10 years ago when their heir, Oz Vessalius, had suddenly disappeared. There were a lot of conspiracies to his disappearance and the public even saw the Phantomhives as suspects because of the competition between the Funtom Co. and the Vessalius' business. The tension between the Phantomhives and Vessalius were forever severed due to these rumors, and when the original Phantomhive estate was burned down the Vessalius family was on the suspect list for a certain period of time.

Ciel walked towards his estate's library to find some old photo albums stored away. He opened one dated 10 years ago, when Ciel was still a toddler. He picked up a picture of the Phantomhive and Vessalius family at an outdoor picnic, he assumed the blonde boy with emerald eyes was Oz Vessalius from what little he could remember from that day.

Ciel was searching the photo album to also come across a picture of his parents trying to help Ciel walk around the park. The glimpse of his parents' smiling faces brought a sharp pain to Ciel's chest, but before quickly closing the album, Ciel took one of the pictures of Oz out of the album and placed it back on the shelf. Sebastian smirked at his master's instant reaction.

"My lord, would you like me to send a letter to the Vessalius estate to ask for—", but before Sebastian could finish his sentence Ciel had grabbed his coat and was headed towards the door.

"Sebastian, get the carriage. I must see this for myself."

Sebastian nodded in obedience and went to grab the carriage. Ciel intently stared at the picture of Oz in his hand, so many thoughts were shrouding his mind.

_There has to be an explanation to this. People don't just disappear and come back without a reason. The Vessalius's are hiding something and it's the only lead I have right now. _


	2. II Two Sides

AN: Thank you to all those who've enjoyed the story! Special thanks to Espadakatsukreuz XIII, mady.98, Paxloria, for reviewing :).

Hope you enjoy one!

Ch. 2: Two sides

"Young Master, Break is right, you can't just act so carefree about this. Now that there's word circulating about your return, there's no knowing who might be looking for you," Gilbert Nightray's cautious words did not faze Oz Vessalius at all.

"Gil, call me by my name! It may have been ten years but I still see you as my close friend. And I'm not afraid, I've got you and Alice, and I've even got Break. Let whoever wants to find me, find me. I've got questions for them too," Oz was still adjusting to the time frame he was dropped into by Abyss. His best friend, Gil, who was once significantly shorter than him had grown ten years older while Oz remained the same age and height. Oz still wasn't used to looking up at his best friend when speaking to him, in fact, Oz wasn't used to anything.

"Oz, there's someone coming," Alice snapped as she felt almost a shiver down her spine. Alice held her weapon tight as she heard the doorknob shake open. However, it was not who she was expecting.

"Oz, there seems to be someone asking for you," Break casually entered the common room with a lollipop in one hand.

"He says his name is Ciel Phantomhive. Pretty short kid, an eye-patch, dresses well. He seems to very adamant in seeing you, a bit rude how he came without an announcement," Break said nonchalantly.

"Phantomhive? I'm not too sure who this Ciel is, but my family is very close to the Phantomhive's! They must be here to help!" but before Oz could get up to greet who he taught was his ally, Gil instantly moved to block Oz's way.

"Oz…much has changed since you were gone. After you…disappeared, something happened between the Vessalius and Phantomhive family..."

Suddenly, the door to the common room busted wide-open. An adolescent boy dressed in elegant colors of royal blue and black came stomping in. A mysterious man wearing a formal butler uniform followed shortly after. Alice and Gil shot up to their master's defense, but Oz raised his hand to stop his friends from coming any closer.

"Oh, Ciel Phantomhive! Now I remember, you're Earl Vincent and Countess Rachel Phantomhive's son, I remember you when you were just a little -" but as soon as Oz was about to give his nostalgic speech, Ciel had crudely interrupted him.

"I am the sole Earl of the Phantomhive house now and don't give me such casual attitude," Ciel barked as he tossed a photo of Oz ten years ago during the Phantomhive and Vessalius picnic insight, "so the rumors are true, you've returned after a decade and you don't even look a day older! What kind of lucrative magic is this!"

Oz was puzzled, "but the Vessailus and Phantomhive family have been so close for centuries, I don't understand."

"Master Oz… things aren't the same as they were ten years ago," Gilbert told him reluctantly, self-conscious about the fact that the heir of the Phantomhive house was in the same room.

Ciel's eyes burned with the desire for answers. Even his butler, Sebastian, was a bit taken back at his master's intense rage.

"Are you mocking the Phantomhive name! Your family first blames mine for your disappearance and now you return without even a single scratch!" Ciel yells with fury, but Oz was unable to absorb anything that was happening.

"My father blamed the Phantomhive's… for my disappearance?" Oz was completely dumbstruck. His father would have never blamed the Phantomhive's for such an incident and ruin the long-built relationship with the Phantomhives, which his father had cherished so greatly. Oz was starting to become anxious as he remembered that his father was still alive in this future timeframe. Because their relationship was almost nonexistent at its best, there was no part of Oz who wanted to even see his father after these ten years.

"I'm sorry, erhm, Cie—or Earl Phantomhive, but I'm definite that my father would have never attacked your family with an accusation like that." Oz uneasily bit his lip, muttering, "he wouldn't have even gone through the trouble of accusing anyone, actually."

His father's look of disgust and his condescending tone were forever embedded into his mind. Unable to recall a time when he and his father even got along, Oz never understood what he had done to make his father hate him so much.

"I DONT BELIVE YOU!" Ciel's harsh voice echoed through Vessalius mansion. Oz's anxiety grew bigger as suppressed memories of his father flooded his mind. Back in Abyss, there was no need to ever recall those memories back into his life. He had forgotten that sometimes reality was even crueler than the darkest pits of Abyss.

Alice sensed Oz's growing misery and was on the verge of yelling back at Ciel to protect her contractor, but Gilbert had stepped in to defend his long time friend and master.

"Oz wouldn't lie about something like this!" Gilbert knew better than anyone the bitter relationship between Oz and his father, "Oz's father… Duke Zai Vessalius, he's not the conventional father..."

At that moment, the wall suppressing the deep hatred for Oz held for his father started to crumble down. Experiencing so many emotions of resentment and rage, Oz's body began burning up. Oz's darker side had won control.

"**MY FATHER HATED ME, HE WOULDNT HAVE GIVEN A DAMN EVEN IF I WERE DEAD!" **

The pain in Oz's voice was almost as disturbing as the pure wrath that engulfed him at the moment. Oz's body began to shake tremendously, and his face seemed almost twisted. Because Alice couldn't bear to see her contractor in so much agonizing pain, she tried to reach out for him but Oz turned his back away.

Ciel was completely dumbstruck by Oz's outburst; he never thought that someone like Oz would be harnessing so much angst. Oz's breakdown caused Ciel to forget about all the questions and fury he had in himself.

Ciel understood the pain of not having parental figures for guidance, but their situations weren't exactly the same. While Ciel had his parents snatched away by the crime of arson, Oz's father, by his own will, chose not to care for his son at all. Ciel saw this as a bigger grievance, for a parent to give life to a child just to end up abandoning it. It went against human nature, the instinct to care for one's young.

Ciel saw the sorrow and pity in Oz's eyes and was reminded of his own. He realized that Oz was not so different from him after all; in fact Ciel felt this level of comfort from knowing that he was not the only one letting his bitter past consume him. He looked to his butler, Sebastian, trusting that he would know how to handle this. Sebastian paused for a while as he was analyzing everything he knew about the Phantomhive and Vessalius family history.

"Could someone have falsified the feud between the Phantomhive and Vessalius household?" Sebastian theorized.


	3. III History Is Written by the Winners

A/N: Thank you to all those who have continued to support this story! I've been trying to make the story chapters longer, but I feel like if it's too long it might be a bit draggy. Any thoughts? Also, I might consider putting some lemon-y things in future chapters but it'll probably be an optional chapter so people can have a choice of reading it or not ;3. Please enjoy, and let me know your feedback! I actually enjoy criticism, both good and bad.

Ch. 3: History is written by the winners

"Could someone have falsified the feud between the Phantomhive and Vessalius household?" Sebastian theorized.

Break had appeared out of nowhere, with a piece of strawberry short cake, which too seemed to appear out of nowhere, and gave a playful response, "that is quite possible Mr. Phantomhive butler. In fact, I don't recall any records of how the Vessalius and Phantomhive family began their feud."

"That's because it was all through private exchanges," Gilbert tried to remember the events that happened a decade ago, the nights following Oz's coming-of-age ceremony, the day when Oz was dropped into Abyss by the Baskervilles…"oh, wait! The Baskervilles!"

"The Baskervilles?" Ciel questioned, "I thought their family was forever banished by the queen a century ago?"

"Heh, that's what the 'records' say, but can we really trust the records now?" Break's playful skepticism was an obvious sign that he knew more than he was entailing. Sebastian raised his eyebrow at Break's teasing manner; Break saw this and winked back at the impassive butler. Sebastian rolled his eyes in annoyance and sighed, "_he's like another…Grell"_.

As everyone was discussing their theories about an unrecorded past event, Oz had heard enough for that evening and snuck away to head to his chambers. It had not even been a couple of days since escaping from Abyss and he did not want to be hearing more about the Baskervilles and other conspiracies against him. Little did he know that the young Earl Phantomhive was following him.

As Oz was about to change to his nightwear, he saw the door to his bedroom creak open. "You sure have a habit of coming in unannounced," Oz said listlessly as he glared at Ciel's one left eye, he wondered what had happened to his right eye. "_Such a royal blue color, what a shame to only have one,_" Oz thought to himself.

"You don't see it, do you? The opportunity right in front of you to have your revenge on the people that stole ten years of your life," Ciel was the type to chase after any opportunity whenever it came around, nothing less expected from the president of the Funtom Co. Business.

"I don't care much for revenge," Oz said half-heartedly, he sensed where Ciel was coming from.

"That's not what you sounded like back there," Ciel cheekily replied.

Oz paused to have direct eye contact with his night visitor, "look, Alice was the one that brought me back to this world from Abyss. I owe it to her, and my main goal right now is finding her memories."

Ciel needed a moment to connect the dots and realize that he was referring to the rambunctious brown-haired girl in the red trench coat.

"As a heir of a noble dukedom, you sure don't know much about making negotiations," Ciel's teasing didn't hide his condescending tone, "I feel like whoever took you to this place called Abyss may also have something to do with my parent's death."

"So, you're the one in this for revenge."

"Well, if you really need another reason other than revenge, you may even find that girl's memories while we search for the real story behind our family feud."

There was a long pause before Oz rose up to meet with Ciel face-to-face. Oz didn't know much about the young Earl, but he knew trusting him wasn't very smart; unfortunately, Ciel had a point, Oz, too, felt like their past was somehow related.

Ciel hadn't realized how tall Oz was, even for someone only, physically, a couple years older than him. He felt a bit overpowered by Oz's huge emerald eyes piercing through him, searching for a glimpse of hope. Ciel smirked, knowing Oz's efforts were futile; he did sell his soul to a demon butler, after all.

"Has anyone told you, Ciel, that you almost look like a… girl?" Oz chuckled softly, breaking the somber silence, "a pretty cute girl, in fact."

This random comment had taken Ciel by complete surprise. Becoming flustered and embarrassed, Ciel reflexively shoved Oz away, but Oz didn't even flinch. As Ciel was about to argue against his supposed feminine looks, Oz smoothly placed his finger on top of Ciel's soft, quivering lips, and said, "I'll help you get your revenge, but I'm doing this solely for Alice. She's my only incentive and when we do get all her memories back, don't assume we'll still be sticking around."

Oz's adamant voice left Ciel amused, he was surprised by the way Oz could take control of the situation with much effortless strength. He had underestimated the young duke's abilities, his noble charisma. Ciel was a bit curious of who this Alice girl was to Oz, who seemed almost _chained _to her, like the way he was chained to Sebastian and vice versa.

But in the end, there's always someone pulling the chains.

"WHERE IS MY SLAVE!" Alice abruptly came barging in, bringing Gilbert by his ear into Oz's bedroom, but they didn't realize that their master had a guest.

"Were we intruding something?" Gilbert raised his eyebrow in skepticism and discomfort as he noticed how close his master and Earl Phantomhive were to each other. Catching Ciel off guard, his face became more flustered.

"No Gil, we were just making… noble negotiations," Oz densely smiled. "I believe this feud between the Vessalius and Phantomhive house is beyond us now, right Ciel?" he added with enthusiastic charm.

Ciel nodded in submission, a bit irritated how Oz had decided on his own upon addressing each other on a first-name bases. _"He plays this game well," _Ciel grinned, for he knew who the real game master was.

"Young Lord, shall we leave now?" Sebastian had appeared stealthy out of nowhere, giving Alice and Gilbert chills. "Sebastian, what took you so long," Ciel signaled for his butler to lead the way out of this foreign place.

"You'll be here tomorrow morning for breakfast, right Ciel-kun?" Oz playfully waved his guests goodbye, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened that day.

Ciel's agitation grew hearing Oz's coy voice. Sebastian snickered at his master's irritation, "my have we gotten _that _close to the Vessalius heir?" Ciel told his butler to shut it.

Ciel and Sebastian hadn't reached the Phantomhive residency until a little before midnight from coming back from the Vessalius mansion.

"How irritating it is for him to make me travel this much," Ciel tiresomely returned to his chambers and Sebastian followed closely to help his master change to his nightwear. "Did you discover anything interesting about the Vessalius family, Sebastian?"

"Not as much as I hoped to, my Lord," Sebastian said in an apologizing tone as he buttoned Ciel's nightgown, "but it seems to me that not everybody there is _human_."

Ciel raised his eyebrow at this butler, "what do you mean, like a demon or reaper of some sorts?"

"It's hard to tell, but that girl, Alice, is definitely not of human blood, and from what I inferred, there seems to be a contract between her and Oz Vessalius."

Ciel stared at Sebastian inquisitively, trying to make sense of his Butler's words. Sebastian untied Ciel's eyepatch to reveal his young master's imprinted right eye, the seal that was placed to epitomize the contract between human and demon, the greatest taboo.

"For demons, contracts are formed as a mutual exchange: the contractor's soul for the demon's services. However, the contract between Oz and Alice seem to involve more than just an exchange of services. It almost seems like Oz is obligated to Alice, unconditionally," Sebastian ran his fingers across Ciel's right cheek, licking his lips as Ciel's huge blue orbs glared at him, "there seems to be no forced date of termination, either."

Ciel looked away from Sebastian's hungry gaze. He completely understood the costs of making a deal with a demon, but he did not care. Ciel had lost his soul long ago, and his life did not mean much to him until he saw _justice_. Justice for what had happened to his family, justice for the pain he had suffered, justice for his own inner darkness, but Oz's complacent voice echoed in the back of Ciel's mind, "_so you're the one in it for revenge"._

"My lord, you should sleep now, we have to start the morning early if we're going to head back to the Vessalius estate for breakfast," Sebastian snapped Ciel out of his trance. Ciel hissed, blaming Oz for such inconsiderate timing.

As Sebastian left his young master to slumber, Ciel's restless thoughts prohibited him from even closing his eyes. Oz's voice, his face, his actions were forever being replayed like a broken record inside his mind, as if his unconscious were trying to interpret the occurrences of that day as something more significant. Ciel then felt his lips, as he remembered the soft touch of Oz's finger right after he had told him that he had feminine qualities.

"That bastard told me I looked like a girl," Ciel angrily murmured as he covered his face with his pillow in embarrassment, but he was more embarrassed by the fact that he was all choked up. Oz even saw his face flush with numerous shades of red. Oz's smug voice flooded his thoughts, almost mocking his current state of confusion.

The voice echoed like a tune, _"~a pretty cute girl, in fact."_


End file.
